Last night I overheard someone being trained in how to do voter registration. Overhear probably isn't the right word. I was there but I didn't need the training -- as you may have noticed, I've done it a couple of times already -- so I was just watching.
The trainer was explaining about the rights of felons. In North Carolina, people who have committed a felony are able to register to vote again, once they are finished with their parole or probation. I don't understand why felons are disenfranchised in the first place, but if that's the way it is, I think it's fair that they get their rights back once they've finished paying their debt. NC is more lenient than many states: in many places a felon can never vote again for the rest of their life.
This law causes a lot of confusion. Many felons think they can never vote again. Some people committed their crime in a state where felons are never re-enfranchised. They think this means they are not allowed to vote anywhere in the country. Also I met one person who didn't realize he had to re-register. After he got done with parole, this was years ago, he just showed up at his precinct on the next election day. His name wasn't on the list, and when he told the poll worker he was an ex-felon they told him felons aren't allowed to vote. They didn't explain to him that all he needed to do was fill out a new registration form (Or maybe they did and he didn't understand). I never was able to convince him that he is eligible. He so much wanted to vote, and I kept telling him that it was allowed, but he didn't believe me. He kept saying "I tried to, and they turned me away!" It broke my heart.
The registration form unfortunately adds to the confusion. The state board of elections keeps changing the form, and there are lots of versions floating around. The one we've been using for most of the summer has a series of statements with yes/no checkboxes at the top. You have to check "yes" to all the statements, or the registration is rejected.
- I am a United States citizen.
- I am 18 years old, or will be by general election day.
- I have been a resident at this address for 30 days or more. If less than 30 days, I moved here on _____ (date).
- I will not vote in any other county or state after submission of this form. If I am registered elsewhere, I am canceling that registration at this time.
- I have not been convicted of a felony; or if I have been convicted of a felony, my rights of citizenship have been restored.
As you can see, the last one is a big problem. It's supposed to be read as "Yes, I have not been convicted of a felony." Instead most people read "I have not been convicted of a felony" and want to check "no." I call it the "when did you stop beating your wife" question. Because of this question, whenever possible I fill out the form for the person, asking them the questions, writing everything in and just having them sign and date the bottom. (Also because it's a lot faster if I do it.) It's even more confusing for people who have committed a felony, because no one knows what "my rights of citizenship have been restored" means. Basically the only way to get an ex-felon to fill out the form is to tell them, "this strange and confusing statement means some entirely different thing which I am telling you now, oh just trust me and sign here."
So anyway, I was watching the new volunteer get training. The trainer was explaining the questions at the top and how confusing it is. And she said that the question is worded that way because "they" don't want us to know the truth. I strongly disagree with that. I'm sure there are plenty of people who believe ex-felons should never be allowed to vote again, and at least some of those are happy if ex-felons are misled into believing they can't. I do not for one moment believe those people are running the NC Board of Elections. The people at the Durham County level have always impressed me with their dedication to promoting democracy and obeying the law. If they trust the people at the state level then I do too.
I think it was just a design flaw. They thought it would be simpler to have a series of yes/no statements which all had to be answered yes. Which required wording one of the questions so strangely, which added so much confusion that it was a net loss to usability. Simpler doesn't always mean easier to understand, as I'm sure anyone who's ever had to create exam questions can agree.
The BOE seems to have realized this was a problem: as of last Friday they are issuing new forms. Not everyone has the new forms yet of course, since they only just started giving them out. On Wednesday morning I picked up forms for the Durham office and they were the bad ones. On Friday morning I picked up forms for Unity in the Community and they gave me this new one.
On the new form, statements 3-5 have been removed from the checklist. These statements were moved to a new section at the bottom, which they have to read and then sign below. It begins "I attest that..." and then lists all the statements they used to have to check off. The felony statement has been reworded to be much more clear:
- I have not been convicted of a felony or, if I have been convicted of a felony, I have completed my sentence, including any probation or parole. (Citizenship and voting rights are automatically restored upon completion of the sentence. No special document is needed.)
There are a couple of other changes to the new form: Libertarian has been added to the party affiliations, and the place to provide ID has been reworked for the better. It seems to me that they made a mistake with the form, and then they corrected it. I understand why people have a certain lack of trust in the democratic process these days, still I don't think it's fair to attribute this one to foul play.